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Emmanuel Petit has urged Jorginho to increase the tempo of his passing if he is to succeed for Chelsea in the Premier League.

Jorginho was Chelsea’s marquee signing last summer, arriving in a £50m deal from Napoli shortly after Maurizio Sarri had been appointed as Antonio Conte’s successor.

The 27-year-old enjoyed a solid start to his Chelsea career but his role in the team and his recent performances have been heavily criticised by pundits and Chelsea supporters alike following a downturn in results.

Jorginho had another difficult afternoon on Sunday as Chelsea were thrashed 6-0 by Manchester City and Petit feels that the Italian international has to adapt to the speed of English football soon.

‘I have nothing against Jorginho, I think he is a beautiful player. But this is the Premier League, this is not Serie A. You don’t play in Italy the same way you play in England,’ Petit told Paddy Power.

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‘In Italy you have more time when you play, more time to manage the ball and they do it beautifully, no doubt.

‘But in the Premier League when you play as a holding midfielder you only have two, three seconds to think. You have to see before even receiving the ball. You have to play quick, fast.

‘Even at Manchester City, Fernandinho doesn’t get much time to control the ball. He knows he has to have speed in his game all the time. Physically you need to respond to the demands of the Premier League.

‘I’m far from being convinced about Jorginho on both things that I’ve said. I think he’s got very interesting technical qualities, he’s got very beautiful vision, but he needs to speed up.’

Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte is the only player in the Premier League to complete more passes than Jorginho this season but the Chelsea midfielder remains without a single assist.

Perhaps unfairly, his association with Sarri who coached him at Napoli before bringing him to Stamford Bridge, has been seized upon by his critics who feel that he will be selected regardless of the quality of his performances.

Sarri has also come in for criticism for deploying Jorginho at the base of Chelsea’s midfield with N’Golo Kante forced into a more advanced role away from his customary defensive position.

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Following a promising start under Sarri, Chelsea have endured a poor run of results, losing each of their last three away Premier League games to Arsenal, Bournemouth and City by an aggregate scoreline of 12-0.